expat-nest-birthday-greener-lifestyle

My Birthday Toast: Cheers to a Greener Lifestyle!

Every birthday I like to write a more personal article about something that has inspired me, as a gesture of appreciation to you, my beloved Expat Nest community. Thank you for being with us for another year! This year I wanted to share some changes I’ve made towards a greener lifestyle, as well as tips for turning important changes into happy habits

 

We are on green mission at Expat Nest and we try to limit our eco footprint as much as possible (one of many reasons why I am proud to run a digital business). I also believe that ecology and psychology are intimately related. We can be happier in a healthy environment and our wellbeing is tied to the wellbeing of our ultimate home: earth!

And today, 20 September 2019, is also a big day for the planet, as people around the world demand more and better action on climate change.

So here are my 10 changes I’ve made over the past few months:

  1. I’m using a wooden toothbrush. 
  2. I’ve simplified my personal hygiene items (I realized I had a lot of plastic bottles in my toiletries – all girlie stuff, like body creams, scrubs, five different shampoos, hair masks…). 
  3. I’m giving environmentally friendly gifts to friends, or experiences!
  4. I now make my own natural deodorant. 
  5. I have a thermos/reusable bottle and drink filtered (vs. bottled) water.
  6. I carry my reusable shopping bag with me at all times.
  7. I talk with others about this topic to raise awareness, but also to exchange tips and create a community around it (as I’m doing in this blog post too).
  8. I use regular soap instead of cream soap in plastic bottles.
  9. I try to reuse as much as possible before I recycle. 
  10. I don’t use plastic straws anymore (we really don’t need them!). 

 

And here are 5 ways to stay motivated as you make changes:

I’ve made other changes too, but I selected the ones above because they are easier to implement and to maintain. Of course, it’s not always easy to make changes. These pointers will help you to keep at it:  

  1. Understand your why: Living by our values enables us to lead highly authentic and meaningful lives.
  2. Break the action into smaller steps: I didn’t tackle all of the above in one go – I took it step by step, and will continue to do so. 
  3. Get inspired! Keep learning about the subject. For example, if you’re implementing green changes too, here’s a podcast you may like (I love what the Earth911 team is doing!). 
  4. Build community: You don’t have to go it alone! Having a support group as well as a forum to exchange ideas helps us to keep on track – and makes it more fun too.
  5. Give yourself time to create a habit: with repetition and lots of patience, this new action will become “normal”.

I hope these ideas inspire you – let’s do this together!

 

What tips would you add to the list for a greener lifestyle? Comment below – we love to be inspired by you!